The field of toys and particularly bath toys is crowded and has a long history. A comprehensive survey of bath toys similar to that of the present invention is not attempted here. However, it should be noted that the toy of the present invention allows water to be held in a reservoir by sealing a top control aperture with a finger or the thumb where the seal required to retain water within the reservoir must be airtight. With even a small deviation from airtightness, water is not retained in the reservoir. The toy of the present invention is designed to allow an airtight seal to be created and maintained with the thumb of an adult-size hand while the toy is held in a single hand, or sealed with a finger when the toy is held in both hands of child-size hands.
Furthermore, the present invention provides an apparatus which can be used as a bathing tool, as well as a toy. Children are typically rinsed in a bath by the adult splashing with a hand, or by the adult cupping water in the hand and pouring it on the child, or by squeezing water from a wash cloth onto the child, or by pouring water from a cup or bowl onto the child. Advantages of the bathing apparatus of the present invention include that (i) rinsing is more easily controlled than by splashing, (ii) more water can be held in the reservoir of the apparatus than in a cupped hand or a wash cloth, (iii) water flow is more easily controlled than by splashing, and (iv) water flow is more easily controlled and can be made to last longer than by pouring from a cup.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a bath toy.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a bath toy which demonstrates physical principles, including pressure effects and fluid statics and dynamics.
More particularly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a bath apparatus which can retain and release water.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a bath toy which is easily operable by the small hands of children.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a bath apparatus which is easily operable by a single adult hand.
It is another object of the present invention to maximize the amount of water retainable in the bath apparatus while still allowing it to be easily operable by a single adult hand or a pair of child-size hands.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a bath apparatus/toy which retains and releases water having one or more control apertures ergonomically located for both small and large hands.
More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bath apparatus which retains and releases water in a reservoir by sealing and unsealing, respectively, a control aperture ergonomically located and oriented to allow it to be operated by the thumb while the reservoir is held in the palm of an adult-size hand.
Also more particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bath toy which retains and releases water in a reservoir by sealing and unsealing, respectively, a control aperture ergonomically located and oriented to allow it to be operated by a finger while the reservoir is held in both hands of child-size hands.
Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bath apparatus which can be held in a single hand and which retains and releases water of maximal volume.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and will be apparent from the description or may be learned from the practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the claims.